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Incident · Other

Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down

On Mar 14 2023 a Russian Su-27 dumped fuel on a US MQ-9 Reaper over international waters in the Black Sea and then struck its propeller during an intercept; operators ditched the damaged airframe (deliberately sunk to deep water, not recovered). No casualties. An adversary-action operational loss, not a system/safety fault (the single discrete, primary-DoD-sourced MQ-9 loss recorded; aggregate Houthi-theater losses are excluded as combat attrition).

Occurred 2023-03-14 · MQ-9 Reaper at Creech Air Force Base · General Atomics Aeronautical Systems · Creech Air Force Base · Drones · Investigated by DoD

How to read this record

Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down

Machine-readable surfaces

Outcomes (1)

  • property damageverified

Revision history (4)

  • 2026-06-05 · loss_cost_class · reported_press
  • 2026-06-05 · fatality_count
  • 2026-06-05 · property_damage_estimate_usd · reported_press
  • 2026-06-05 · outcome_class

Outcome rows carry verification_posture independently. Revision events carry basis (verified_court_filing, verified_insurance, reported_press, estimate, undisclosed). The framework records outcomes only when verifiable; absence is honest absence, not a claim of no-impact.

Sources (2)

  1. USNI News · https://news.usni.org/2023/03/14/u-s-mq-9-drone-crashes-in-black-sea-after-encounter-with-russian-fighter
  2. US European Command · https://www.eucom.mil/pressrelease/42314/russian-aircraft-collides-into-us-unmanned-system-in-international-waters

Common questions

What happened in Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down?
On Mar 14 2023 a Russian Su-27 dumped fuel on a US MQ-9 Reaper over international waters in the Black Sea and then struck its propeller during an intercept; operators ditched the damaged airframe (deliberately sunk to deep water, not recovered). No casualties. An adversary-action operational loss, not a system/safety fault (the single discrete, primary-DoD-sourced MQ-9 loss recorded; aggregate Houthi-theater losses are excluded as combat attrition).
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on March 14, 2023 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down?
MQ-9 Reaper by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Creech Air Force Base.
Has anyone responded to Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-21

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-21

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-government-record
Government record

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Russian Su-27 collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea, forcing it down.

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Canonical ID 61aa56ba-accc-4552-b29a-77cc0fb6aa94